Water firm labelled 'worst-run company' after outages
BBCThe leadership of a water firm has been heavily criticised in the House of Commons after taps ran dry for thousands of people in south-east England during multiple supply issues.
Tonbridge MP Tom Tugendhat said South East Water (SEW) was the "worst-run company I've ever come across" during the heated discussion, after Sir Roger Gale, the MP for Herne Bay and Sandwich, was granted an urgent question.
About 22,000 properties were affected at the peak of the most recent issues, which started on 23 May and were resolved on Tuesday.
SEW apologised and said it was changing the way issues were managed by updating emergency procedures, improving customer experience, and working with local authorities.
During the discussion, Gale said it was "inexcusable" that people were left without water during the heatwave.
Water minister Emma Hardy said the answer to the supply issues was building reservoirs, but added that SEW could improve their communications and leakage in the short term.
In the House of Commons, Hardy said the government had told SEW it needed "to be prepared for future hot weather during the summer".
She says "it has one job…to supply water" and it is "quite frankly astonishing" they are failing to do that.
SEW has also been told to identify which customers will get compensation "by the end of the week", Hardy said.
PA MediaSEW said the recent disruption was caused by "exceptionally high demand, following the period of hot weather".
The firm's chair and chief executive are both departing following multiple severe supply failures.
Between November and December, some 24,000 SEW customers had no water supply or low pressure following a plant failure, which led to a boil water notice for several days.
Weeks later, up to 30,000 households faced days of water chaos - which SEW blamed on cold weather and Storm Goretti.
Following the discussion on Wednesday, SEW said it was focussed on delivering its long-term business plan to improve operational resilience while keeping bills affordable.
"We are accelerating a programme of engineering works and operational changes," the company said.
"Our work to date includes improvements to water treatment works, upgrades to pipelines, and increased spare stock levels, and this will deliver additional capacity and water quality protection to our customers."
'Improve water efficiency'
Faversham and Mid Kent MP Helen Whately also delivered a petition to Downing Street on Wednesday to stop large-scale housing expansions due to water supply concerns.
"We can't possibly have the thousands more houses that are planned when we don't have the water for the houses we've got," she said.
SEW said it was working with local authorities to understand new housing requirements and if they could be accommodated without its existing supply-demand forecasts before its next water resources management plan.
"In the shorter term, our priority continues to be to reduce leakage, improve water efficiency, and we have started work upgrading meters across our network in preparation for smart meter technology," a company spokesperson said.
